Older adults will adapt to change and adopt new technology. When an 88-year-old neighbor is filming fireworks with his smartphone, it is easy to see that times have changed. If an affordable technology can be found that meets a personal need (or answers a compelling question with AI), people will find it and get it to work. Remember encyclopedias – we now cannot imagine any process that would again make them useful. Could training be more readily found? Will all devices default to ‘Accessibility’ and security options that you must undo?
Touch screens are an unending aggravation. Study the iPhone commands, for example. Push up to get the display, pull down to select ‘Do not disturb’, but not too hard, because many other options appear. Push sideways, to change screens, move an icon around the screen, and, well, you know what happens then. Of course, knowing these choices is based on experience (and experimentation over time), not based on any training. So what if you encounter the device for the first time? Your hands shake just a bit, and you remember how much you liked having a keyboard…You wonder, are there ways to train new (and older) users on how to use touch screens – and for that matter, the essentials of the device? And will Siri’s voice commands overcome the touch screen’s limitations? Yes, actually.
Maybe it really is time for the 'virtual' AgeTech suite. As HLTH 2024 wrapped up this month, including its plethora of small-scope, standalone AgeTech offerings, look over at the world of Digital Health. A drop in funding precipitated a rethink on the part of some companies – causing them to acquire functionality rather than build it themselves – and saving time and money. Duh. Looking at the 58 companies that made up the AgeTech exhibit hall at HLTH, they are prime candidates as well for combination into 'virtual' suites. No integration required, just marketing awareness that in the eyes of the ultimate user, family member or reseller, one offering is complementary to another. And more to the point, that user may need all of them at one point or another, as physical wellbeing, mental capacity, and social connections -- will likely evolve over time.
HLTH 2024 wrapped up last week in Las Vegas – where else? AI was a big topic – transformational, embedded in health tech, capitalizing on the buzz. Or growing caution, concern about regulation, data quality issues, depending on the perspective. Others fretted about the state of healthcare in the US (not good), physician burnout (not good) and the health status of Americans, especially the mental health of young people (not good). All these despite the promise of AI-enablement of laborious processes, hospital at home, conversational AI, new drugs, and many tech innovations. Looking through the exhibitor list, fifty-eight companies self-identified as AgeTech at HLTH.
Older adults will adapt to change and adopt new technology. When an 88-year-old neighbor is filming fireworks with his smartphone, it is easy to see that times have changed. If an affordable technology can be found that meets a personal need (or 
Touch screens are an unending aggravation. Study the 
is time for the 'virtual' AgeTech suite. As 
HLTH 2024 wrapped up last week in Las Vegas – where else? AI was a big topic – transformational, embedded in health tech, capitalizing on the buzz. Or growing caution,